Mental Health and Crime - Essay Example

Mental Health and Crime: The Argument for Complexities in this connection. Hayley, an eighteen-year-old unemployed woman, spend the majority of her childhood going from various foster homes and family members’ houses for having a questionable domestic situation and neglectful family life. Estranged from both her mother and her father, Hayley didn’t get a regular education like a normal child would. Instead, she got kicked out of school for her lack of ability to focus and be a constructive student. Six months ago, Hayley was arrested for shoplifting and then for assault of a police officer while drunk. Hayley is someone who cannot hold down a job due to her aggressive nature and paranoia, which might perhaps be caused by her schizophrenic nature. Hayley’s story is just one case study of many that victimizes the mentally challenged for being unable to constructively handle their disease and/or their afflictions. In actuality, those struggling with their mental health fall to the wayside because of the way they are treated by their communities and society, and the many factors that come with their mental health, not because of it. Our culture cannot stigmatize people like Hayley anymore, people who might otherwise be productive. Though people with mental health issues often get help and lead to productive lives, much of the time society doesn’t deal with mental disorders in a constructive manner, both in a communal sense and for the best interest of the individual. First, there is the initial problem in defining what a “mental disorder” actually is. According to Andrew E. Skodol’s book Psychopathology and Violent Crimes, this question can be traced back to Aristotle, where “confusion about the reality of a situation might provide a moral excuse for persons who acted unlawfully in response to their beliefs (Skodol, 1998).” Jeremy Coid did a study of men in U.K. prisons and the results showed that many of them tested positively for borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Coid did not make any conclusions as to what specifically differentiated these men from their U.K. counterparts who resided in mental health centers, though he did conclude that “low socioeconomic status, family dysfunction and inadequate parenting seem to form the genesis of violent behavior (Butterfield, 1997).” The Great Britain Penal System seems to be (in comparison to their American penal system counterpart) more understanding in nuances and distinctions of where to place people who have been convicted of crimes yet are diagnosed with psychoses. Obviously, this is something that has been muddied with in our system, and seems to be misunderstood in a variety of ways. A BBC news study on homicides due to mental health is a good example of the continuing debate that rages on in a push to accurately define mental health within the strata of criminology, violence and societal threat. The article related that violence due to people with mental health disorders increased through the seventies, but has been dropping. Violence from mentally challenged offenders was at a “at an historic low of 0.07 per 100,000 population, or lower, since 2000 (BBC News, 2008).” The article went on to argue this fact through different experts like policy officer Allison Cobb, who said that “"The number of homicides committed by people with mental distress have long been a tiny fraction of the total, but due to sensational media coverage of one-off cases, there has been a widespread misconception that they are more common than they really are (BBC News, 2008).” Michael Howlett, director of a trust focused on mental disorder action, stated that "Its good news if the number is coming down, but I would have strong reservations about the way statistics are collected (BBC News, 2008).” Many argue that criminal offense and belligerence is something that is determined by social and cultural conditions, and not primarily by one’s mental health. Often, too, this starts in the formative stages, and mental health conditions can be formed expressly based on the way an individual grows up. According to the United Kingdom’s Economic and social research council, Children from a low socio-economic stratum are more likely to develop mental disorders than their higher-class counterparts. The highest prevalence among children’s mental disorders occurs in the instance of single parent or incomplete households (2007). Much research suggests, in cohesion of Hayley’s example, getting a good education in a stable home protect children as they get older from developing psychoses and psychological problems as adults. The Economic and social research council’s work shows that if the home and educational strata are positive, the economic background seems to matter less. As individuals like Hayley get older, there is more risk that social and familiar discord becomes something distinguishable as a “mental disorder.” Between 10-20 per cent of young people involved in criminal activity are thought to have a psychiatric disorder (www.mentalhealth.org, 2000).” Many of the risk factors for youth crime are the same as those for mental illnesses. According to the mental health foundation of the United Kingdom, youth brought up unstable homes are more likely to become violent and also have a higher risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. As one can see, violence and aggression in youth with unstable homes and foundations that lack education are more likely to become violent, and more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disability such as depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, anxiety or dementia. We certainly cannot discount the role of alcohol and drug abuse in Hayley’s case, which seems to appear, also, in people who have histories of broken homes, mental illness and poverty in their histories. Substance abuse also blurs the lines between mental disorder and “not,” according to Sheileigh Hodgins’ Violence Among the Mentally Ill. “A Striking Feature of mentally disordered offenders is the high prevalence of substance abuse…most studies report prevalence rates between 40 and 60 percent (Hodgins, 2000).” An article in The Independent revealed that "The correlation between mental illness and alcohol abuse is very defined. Those who are depressed may self-medicate with alcohol in order to relieve their symptoms. Indeed, alcohol dependency is a type of mental illness. But mental health treatment is currently the Cinderella of the National Heath System (Goodchild & Woolf, 2006).” Of course, factoring in the aforementioned statistical proof of alcohol and substance abuse further complicates this dimension of people with psychosis causing violent crimes. Hayley’s case certainly supports the data of substance and alcohol abuse going hand in hand with damaging an individual who has mental disorders and who has lived a rough life. Hayley’s schizophrenia could be accentuated by alcohol abuse, as according to The British Journal of Psychiatry, schizophrenics are particularly susceptible to alcohol abuse and “there is circumstantial evidence to support the hypothesis that schizophrenics who abuse drugs or alcohol are at an increased risk of behaving violently (Hucker & Smith, 2004).” Alcohol and drugs are a prevalent part of our culture, and their use or misuse could be thought to be a reflection on society’s values. Hayley’s behavior in this way degrades her mental health and is brought upon by behavior recognized as a general part of western culture. According to Scott Allen Johnson, the importance of substance abuse in one’s history is almost as important as how one is raised. “In general, those who develop mental health disorders have an increased disposition to other disorders including substance abuse... with the exception of moderate to severe psychotic disorders, the mental disorder does not cause an offender to offend…. a predisposition for violence and alcoholism would (Johnson, 2006).” Johnson goes on to say that the offender would “give himself permission to offend” which is something prevalent when one’s mind is in an altered state. There is further evidence that shows that social stigma of mental disease bolsters the risk of the mentally ill to pose a danger to themselves and to their community, and prevent them from being as productive as they could be. It is paramount to the future of mental health patients in the United Kingdom that people understand how detrimental a social stigma can be to those with psychological disorders. According to Treating Violence, by Tony and Anthony Maden, people fear the mentally ill for the possibility of killing strangers, but in actuality, this instance of violence is rare. “A public health approach would undoubtedly give greater priority to the violence associated with, for example, alcohol or domestic disputes (Maden, 2007).” The realities of the threat of violence by pure mental disorder is much lower than the actual studies, though it was established before that certain distinctions were blurry. Still, one can see detriment in social stigma. The greatest obstacle to overcoming and coping with mental disorders might very well be discrimination endured. One study is of Kym Peters, who relates her discrimination based on her depression to the lack of understanding in people about mental disorders in general. In 1991, Ms. Peters had depression, which made her a resident in a mental health ward for approximately two weeks. Years later, Miss Peters trained as a nurse at Kingston University and had to stop her studies based on another bout of depression. Eventually, she worked as a health care assistant but found it incredibly difficult to leaver her past behind her, despite having done well in treatment and without violent behavior, substance abuse, or lack of support. This is an example that, even in the heath profession and without violence or a patchy history, mental disorder can be discriminatory. Of course, there are social programs that are being made more accessible to the public that will help others gain a better understanding of mental illness and help people who are afflicted with mental illness to deal with their pasts, their addictions and their pathologies in a constructive manner. Some such programs are community recreation leagues, better access to social work and psychotherapy through the state, and an increase in psychologists and therapists working in state prisons and rehabilitations centers. This will hopefully shed light a bit better on the connection between mental health and crime and give women like Hayley a better chance to be understood and rehabilitated. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will have a mental health disorder in their life (www.mentalhealth.org, 2000). Obviously, Haley is not alone. It is important that the discussion of what is and is not due to a mental health disorder lives on, and the dialogue continues in terms of the relationship of mental health to alcohol, discrimination and background. It is clear to see that mental health is not the only thing that causes violence or crime in the United Kingdom or in the World in General, there are many factors that are “grey areas” in the search for answers pertaining to mental health. According to Mike Fitzgerald, Gregor McLennan and Jennie Pawson in their book Crime and Society: Readings in History and Theory, “Studies in Britain have tended to focus sociologically and empirically on the problem (of mental health and violence) as it pertains to specific towns and cities, and view crime as sub-culturally determined by the frustrations of life (Fitzgerald, McLennan & Pawson, 1981).” It is paramount in furthering our understanding between the link of mental health and crime to consider the spectrum that is the multitude of factors that make up a human being. Using Hayley’s case study as a starting point, we can certainly see that mental health wasn’t the only factor in her tumultuous life that may have led her to being violent and criminally inclined. References Butterfield, F. “Punitive Damages: Crime Keeps on Falling but Prisons keep on filling.” New York Times, September 28 1997. Section 4, pp. 1-4. Faulkner, David. Crime, State and Citizen: A Field Full of Folk. U.K.: Waterside Press, 2006. Fitzgerald, Mike, McLennan, Gregor & Pawson, Jennie. Crime and Society: Readings in History and Theory. U.K.: Routedge, 1981. Goodchild, Marie & Woolf, Sophie. “Revealed: 50 per cent of alcoholics and drug addicts are mentally ill.” The Independent. 8 October 2006. www.inependent.co/uk/life-style on 16 January 2009 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/revealed-50-per-cent-of-alcoholics-and-drug-addicts-are-mentally-ill-419185.html> Grove, B. “Mental health and employment: shaping a new agenda.” Journal of Mental Health. U.K.: Mental health Publications, 1999. pg.8, 131–140. “Hearing Voices, Auditory Hallucinations.” The Mental Health Foundation. 2000. 16 January 2009 Hodgins, Sheilagh. Violence Among the Mentally Ill III: Effective Treatments and Management Strategies. London: Springer Publishing, 2000. Hucker, Steven & Smith, James. “Schizophrenia and substance abuse.” The British Journal of Psychiatry. Bristol: Fromeside Clinic, 1994. Pgs 13- 21, 165. Johnson, Scott Allen. Physical Abusers and Sexual Offenders: Forensic and Clinical Strategies. New York: CRC Press, 2006. Maden, Anthony. Treating Violence. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Meltzer, H., Gill, B., Petticrew, M. OPCS Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain. London: HMSO, 1995. “Mental Health Killings Falling.” BBC News. 8 January 2008. BBC News.org on 16 January 2009 Miller, Laurence. Counseling Crime Victims: Practical Helping Strategies for Mental Health Professionals. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2008. Patel, Vikram. Where There is No Psychiatrist: A Mental Health Care Manual. New York: RCPsych Publications, 2003. Read, J. & Baker, S. A Survey of the Stigma, Taboos and Discrimination Experienced by People with Mental Health Problems. U.K.: Kingston University, 1996. Skodol, Andrew E. Psychopathology and Violent Crime. New York: American Psychiatric Publication, 1998. Read More